Blue Jeans 101

What was I wearing? I can't believe I actually thought that made me look thin! How could you let me leave the house wearing that? If any of these thoughts have crossed your mind while looking through old photos, you can probably sympathize. Paul and I have been going through our old photos in an attempt to weed some out. It's been fun to take a walk down memory lane, but goodness--what was I wearing?

According to Oprah, 9 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong kind of jeans for their figure (I sure it was a very scientific study). However, after viewing my old photos I know into which percentage group I fall. I have decided to research how to choose a great pair of jeans. Here is what I found....

1. Fashion is like grammar - no rule is absolute. It's a good idea to be aware of the "rules" so you can weed through the veritable forest of jeans and choose a style that should look good on you. Note the should. Even if they fit all the rules they still might not look great on you, which is why you need to try on LOTS of pairs of jeans. Different brands fit everyone differently.
   
2. Stay away from the "mom jean" - even if you are a mom. These are the jeans that come up to or past the belly button and taper in at the leg. The tapered leg makes your hips appear huge by contrast. The high waist emphasizes any stomach you might have, instead of concealing it. I know people who wear these jeans because they feel like the new styles are too low and will show their back if they bend over. Luckily, there are many designers now who make what is called a mid-rise jean. These ones hit below the belly button, but are not so low that you will have to worry about exposing your back. Also, there are some jeans that are cut to hit higher on the back and lower on the stomach (like these from Old Navy). A win-win for all.
   
3. If you are larger on top and have thin hips and legs you can get away with distressing and whiskering on your jeans. The distressing and whiskering will visually widen the hip and leg area, balancing your top half and creating a flattering effect. You can also get away with a slightly lighter wash jean, because this brings the emphasis down and helps to balance your top.
4. If you are smaller on top and have larger hips and thighs (pear shaped) there are several things to keep in mind when looking for jeans. First you want to stay away from the distressing and whiskering because that will emphasize what you are trying to conceal. You will want to get a dark, uniform, wash on your jeans because this will visually slim you. You want the waist on the jeans to hit under your belly button, but across the widest part of your stomach. Also, you want to look for a jean with weight in the bottom; either a flare, boot cut, wide leg, or trouser. Choose something that has a wider leg to balance out your wide hip. Just watch out for 2 things. If you are short (5'4" or less), you should stick with either a wide leg or trouser. Your legs are not long enough to pull off the boot cut or the flare. They will just make your legs look shorter than they are. Also, you're looking to balance the hip, so if you have a pair of jeans that are tight on your hips and thighs, then continue narrow down to the knees and flare out again to the boot cut, this just makes your hips look large; your legs will look like an hour glass.
   
5. If you get the muffin top on your jeans because of a little extra tummy action there are a couple of things you can do to get a good fit. You want to find a jean with a waist that hits below the belly button, but across the widest part of your stomach. If your waistband goes below your widest area, your stomach will sag on top of the band. If your waistband sits above the widest part of your stomach you'll achieve the mom jean look. You might need to go up a size to get a waistband that fits correctly against your stomach. If a proper fitting waistband doesn't lock in your stomach to control the muffin top, you might want to consider getting some shapewear. These are really comfortable to wear and will just smooth out any bulges. I've read good things about this kind.
6. Zafu.com is a cool site because it lets you enter what you're looking for in a pair of jeans and will list LOTS of different kinds you can choose from. I like doing this and then having the site list them from least to most expensive. Who wants to spend $100 on jeans when you can find cool ones for $30?
7. This link and this link, both from Oprah's website, contain more information on finding a good pair of jeans. I recommend visiting and checking out the photo galleries. It's AMAZING what an awesome pair of jeans can do.